Khaberni - Palestinian factions have urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to urgently convene a meeting of the factions' general secretaries, aiming to launch a national dialogue, conduct comprehensive elections, and develop a unified strategy to face current challenges.
This came in a joint statement issued by the movements "Hamas", "Islamic Jihad", "Palestinian National Initiative", "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine", "Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine", and the "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command".
The factions confirmed that "the unified provisional leadership framework, agreed upon in the national reconciliation accords and most recently the Beijing agreement, represents the collective transitional national reference capable of leading this phase, enhancing national partnership, and ensuring the continuity of national institutions on consensual grounds."
In July 2024, the Palestinian factions announced, in a statement following the conclusion of a national meeting held by 14 factions in Beijing, their agreement to "comprehensive national unity" encompassing all forces within the framework of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and the formation of a temporary national consensus government to manage the affairs of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem.
The factions' statement today, Sunday, stated that national unity and political partnership are the only choices to confront the genocide war and plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause.
It emphasized that any actions related to rebuilding and developing Palestinian national institutions must "be based on inclusive national consensus and comprehensive dialogue, enhancing the legitimacy of national institutions, maintaining unity, and dedicating the approach of partnership and integration as the essential guarantee to protect the national project."
The factions cautioned against the dangers of "any attempts to reengineer the Palestinian political system in response to external pressures or dictates."
The statement explained that the real gateway to restoring national unity and renewing the legitimacy of national institutions begins with "calling for comprehensive national dialogue involving all Palestinian factions, based on the principles of partnership, democracy, and national consensus."
The statement demanded the prioritization of the supreme national interest and unification of ranks to confront risks targeting Palestinians, including "projects of displacement, ethnic cleansing, annexation, and liquidation of national rights."
Entrenching Division
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Initiative in Europe for National Action has urged President Abbas to retract the call for elections to the Palestinian National Council in its current format scheduled for November.
It warned that the call in its current form could lead to the entrenchment of division, override previous national agreements, and marginalize large segments of the Palestinian people, including millions of displaced Palestinians scattered forcibly across various countries worldwide.
It considered that the call for elections in its announced format and mechanisms, in its current form, does not meet the requirements of this critical national stage, urging an immediate start to a serious and comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue, based on the principle of non-exclusion.
It stressed the necessity for the dialogue to ensure full partnership among all Palestinian components, based on previous national agreements, primarily rebuilding the Palestinian Liberation Organization as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, on comprehensive national and democratic grounds.
The initiative demanded conducting comprehensive, free, and fair elections for a new Palestinian National Council, with the participation of Palestinians both domestically and abroad, adopting consensus in the states and regions where conducting elections is challenging.
It expressed that the Palestinian people, who have made immense sacrifices over long decades defending their land and national rights, deserve a unified, legitimate, elected national leadership expressing their free will, unifying their energies, and leading their struggle towards freedom, return, and independence.
Amending the Election Law
On June 14, President Abbas issued a decree to amend the general election law, raising the number of members of the Legislative Council from 132 to 200, lowering the candidacy age from 28 to 23 years old, and mandating at least one woman among every three candidates, in preparation for upcoming legislative and national elections.
The decree came after years of inactivity of the Legislative Council, which was dissolved by a decree from Abbas in 2018, while the last elections for it were held in 2006.
The Palestinian National Council is the supreme legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, serving as the "parliament of the Palestinian people", representing Palestinians both domestically and in the diaspora.
On February 2, Abbas issued a decree inviting Palestinians in the homeland and the diaspora to participate in the elections of the National Council scheduled on November 1, 2026.
The Palestinian cause faces the most challenging conditions in its history, as the occupation continues a war on the Gaza Strip for more than two and a half years, resulting in the martyrdom of 73,054 Palestinians and injuring 173,480 others, while settlement activities escalate in the occupied West Bank in addition to the worsening ordeal of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
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